LeaveIttoMe!
by rinappe
Summary: Atsuya is setting up a surprise party for his beloved older brother Shirou, but he faces a few troubles to make it a success. (Fanfic exchange for shawn-and-aiden-frost-9 on tumblr. Thank you to ina11writingexchange for hosting!)


Winter was at its prime, cold winds blowing, snow covering the landscape and the sun's light reflecting off the glittering snow. Christmas was coming soon but to Fubuki Atsuya, there was one event way more important than that.

"Mom! Dad!" he cheered as he came running down the stairs, orange-pink hair ruffled, pajamas all crinkled. He was a whole mess but his glittering eyes and excited smile would take anyone's minds off that. "You definitely have the tickets with you, right? You didn't leave it in your room, right? It didn't go into the laundry by accident, right?!"

"Calm down, Atsuya," his father chuckled, taking out the tickets in question out of his pocket. "I have them right here."

Atsuya sighed in relief, counting that there were exactly three tickets and not one more nor less. No incident so far. Everything had to go perfectly for Fubuki Shirou's birthday.

"Alright, party planner. You have to eat up if you're going to have enough energy to plan this surprise party," his mother said, giving him a large portion of rice and miso soup, with rolled eggs on the side. The smell woke Atsuya up from his excitement, as he scarfed it all down.

It was all the energy he needed to carry out the huge party he was going to hold for Shirou. He'd prepared a long list of things to do the week before, bought all the decorations and ingredients ahead of time, and asked the soccer team for help (though reluctantly). With all the precautions listed out, from ensuring his parents kept Shirou out of the house the entire day, to seeing that the decorations were hidden at Someoka's house, nothing could ruin the surprise.

"Good morning, everyone," Shirou popped into the dining room, the shock almost choking Atsuya, who was drinking soup. "Ah, you're up early for once, Atsuya."

"Uh yeah, good morning, Bro," he responded gruffly, a complete change in his behavior. His eyebrows furrowed, a frown on his face and all the positivity from before had completely disappeared. It was like the previously excited him never existed in the first place.

"Ah, sorry, bad morning for you?" Shirou asked with concern.

"Nothing you should care about," the younger brother grumbled, finishing the last of his rice.

Their mother sighed as she placed the same meal in front of Shirou. "Atsuya, be nice. Happy birthday, Shirou," she said, kissing her eldest son's forehead. "Don't mind him, he's been like this since he came down."

"Oh, so that must be why I heard loud stomps down the stairs earlier," Shirou concluded, and Atsuya made a mental note to be more discreet next time.

"Happy birthday, Shirou. We've planned out an entire day for you," their father said, showing him the tickets that Atsuya had been excited over moments ago. He immediately smiled seeing the soccer match tickets to see his favourite team. However, that beaming smile quickly turned to a frown.

"Why are there only three tickets?"

Their parents exchanged glances, unsure what excuse to tell. They had a perceptive son, so some half-baked lie wouldn't cut it.

"I kinda flushed it down the toilet earlier, it fell out of my pants," Atsuya grumbled, huffing in frustration. "Now I'm in no mood to even get out of the house."

Shirou raised an eyebrow at his brother's carelessness but otherwise convinced. "That explains your mood, I suppose," he chuckled it off. "Are you really not following?"

"Do you have to get on my case on everything? Just because you got a bit older doesn't mean your authority on me has grown," Atsuya scoffed, and stormed out of the dining room before anyone could scold him.

"That boy... We'll have to have a talk with him later. But for now, it's your day so don't let that get to you, okay Shirou?" his father tried cheering him up, patting his head. Shirou simply nodded, his younger brother's words still stinging.

"Let's get on our way then. Maybe you'll get to meet some of the team members if we go earlier," his mom smiled after finishing the last of the dishes, infecting Shirou with her optimism. As they left the house, he did a little thinking.

"Atsuya's tantrum was fake, wasn't it? Just like how you went along with it?"

His father flashed out a smile, intrigued by Shirou's perceptiveness.

"What makes you say that?"

Shirou flashed a small smile of his own, connecting two and two together.

"Let's just call it an older brother's intuition."

-o-

Hearing the front door shut and the car engine's roaring fade, Atsuya sighed in relief. He didn't have to act anymore.

With that performance, I deserve an Oscar. Or was it a Grammy? he thought to himself, walking down the stairs back into the dining room. It really did hurt him to say such painful words to his brother but as long as it helped with hiding the surprise, it would definitely be worth it.

"Okay, let's see... first up is cooking," Atsuya mumbled as he looked over his list. Taking out the ingredients he'd bought the day before, he grouped them by dish; he was going to make curry, a salad and Hamburg steaks. Ideally, he wanted to make Shirou's favorites but his cooking prowess said otherwise.

"I'll make the salad first, I guess," he mumbled on, picking up a head of lettuce.

BANG! BANG! BANG!!!

The sudden banging on his front door surprised him, and the lettuce flew out of his hands. His reflexes did their best to catch it but all they did was change its course of direction. It bounced off the bowl of eggs, crushing them in the process, and knocked off the meat and curry roux to the floor. Finally, the lettuce rolled to a stop, egg lining its trial to finish off the mess.

As much as Atsuya would love to stare in horror, the loud door banging demanded his attention.

Seething with anger, he threw the front door open, ready to throw a fit. However, the perpetrator just hopped her way in, ignoring his anger with a "Thanks for letting me in!"

"Welcome, dear guest~ IN YOUR DREAMS, PRINCESS!!" Atsuya yelled, glaring daggers at the former athlete.

"That's no way to treat your Princess Nae, Atsuya," Shiratoya Nae pouted. "I came all this way after all."

As much as Atsuya wanted to continue the argument, he was on a tight schedule so he decided to cut to the chase. "State your business."

"Tada~" she grinned, taking out a box with a cute bunny design on it. "It's Shirou's birthday, right? His present!"

Atsuya snatched the box, tilted it at various angles for observation, and shook it for its contents. Horrified, Nae snatched it back and held it protectively. "This is our premium Shirousagi Manjuu and that's how you treat it?! Enemy of food!"

"If anyone's an enemy of food, it's you! I have to go buy ingredients again because of your stupidly loud banging!" Atsuya retorted, furious that she still had the guts to barge into his house AND scold him.

"Atsuya can cook? That's surprising for you," she snickered.

"Shut up, stay out of my house and leave me alone—"

A genius idea popped into Atsuya's mind.

Nae could only look at the forward with curious eyes for his sudden silence, unaware of her immediate fate.

-o-

"How could you make a lady like me carry grocery bags?" Nae whined, two plastic bags in her hand.

"Not only do you add more groceries, you made me pay for all of it!" Atsuya seethed. "What do you need three tubs of ice cream for, in winter?"

"Okay, first off..."

Atsuya regretted his so called genius idea. He was going to make Nae do grocery shopping with him and clean up the mess earlier. Yet, she did not only refuse to clean because of her lack of ability to do so, she dragged grocery shopping on for so long that he doubted he would have any time to even finish one dish. It made him think her only respectable trait was her monstrous speed.

As Nae listed the purpose of every additional ingredient she threw in, the pair seemed to have attracted a few eyes, Atsuya in particular.

"Hey, hey, aren't you Fubuki-kun's adorable younger brother?" a girl cooed as she approached him with two other girls.

"Hah? Who're you chicks?" Atsuya glared. He felt like he knew them, but he cared little to actually find out from where.

"Awww, is that how you talk to your upperclassmen? Your tough talk is really cute, but Fubuki-kun's calm speech is really cool too~" one of the other two girls said dreamily.

"Speaking of which, isn't it his birthday today?" the third one tilted her head.

"These girls must be from Shirou's class or third years," Nae whispered. Atsuya clicked his tongue in frustration and tried to shove past them. However, they weren't going to let him go that easily.

"You don't mind if we follow along so we could greet your brother right? It'd be rude of us to not wish a happy birthday," one of the girls persuaded.

"Uhm, senpai, we need to rush back—" Nae did her best to intervene but was shoved instead. She heard a crack under her bottom and peeked to see egg whites mixed with crushed curry roux. The girls giggled it off, about to mock her for her 'clumsiness' however, a chill went down their spine. They turned back to see the source of the chill.

Atsuya had a blank face, no anger, no frustration on his face. He made his way to Nae's side, helped her up and wiped off any dust that dirtied her clothes. The girls sighed, thinking they were safe but the glare that Atsuya shot them instilled immense terror in them.

"First, this bunny princess makes me ruin my ingredients. Then, she empties my wallet with her stupid antics," Atsuya murmured. "That much I can bear, she's always been this annoying as far as I've known."

"But you lot. Invading our space, ruining my groceries, speaking as if you care so much," With each word, the girls stepped back. The killer glare that Atsuya gave them drained all color from their face. "My brother couldn't give two shits about you."

The girls clicked their tongues, mumbling how precocious he was, and without another word, scuffled away. Nae turned to see how Atsuya was doing but he was seething. Not wanting to deal with his anger, she decided to stay silent for the rest of their journey back. However, guilt came over her, so she took out her phone to text for help.

-o-

As they reached the Fubuki's front door, four figures were in front of it. Still moody over the previous incident, Atsuya's immediate instinct was to growl.

"What're you bastards—"

"Juka-chan, Konko-chan! You answered my call for help!" Nae cheered and ran to give them a huge hug. The two girls welcomed her hug and they gleefully exchanged greetings.

"We met Hyoujou and Sorano on the way here so we asked them along!" the small girl introduced the other two, who happily smiled in greeting towards Nae but simply nodded to Atsuya.

"Hah? First you empty my wallet and now you bring more trouble?" Atsuya rumbled, ready to start up again.

"We'll have you know that we came to help you with your dinner feast for Shirou-san," Hyoujou huffed, insulted that he was set aside as trouble immediately.

"We even brought extra ingredients..." Sorano said softly as the four showed their bags of ingredients. "Shiratoya-san told us about what happened so we wanted to help..."

Atsuya could only look at the five in disbelief. His rage blew out, replaced by the warm wave of relief and gratitude. "I'm sorry I called you guys trouble. You really just saved my life here."

The five could only stare at Atsuya baffled. "It's really surprising to get an apology from Atsuya..." Hyoujou breathed out, and they all laughed, other from Atsuya who rolled his eyes.

"We'll definitely make delicious meals so just relax and finish the rest of your party," Matora grinned. "Right?"

"Yeah!!"

Maybe having these people as teammates wasn't so bad as he used to think.

-o-

While his new guests whipped up meals in his kitchen, Atsuya had to get on with decorating. He had already asked permission from his parents to do so as long as it didn't involve wall paints or moving the heavy furniture around. The doorbell's tune chimed throughout the house, and he opened it to greet Someoka and Hakoda. The two were carrying bags of decorations and he welcomed them in, much warmer than he had with Nae.

He quickly filled in Someoka with the details of his decoration plans, with adjustments from the reinforcement member's critics. The rest of the main Hakuren team arrived, each bringing their own gift for Shirou and another pair of hands to speed up the decorating.

"We finished the birthday banner!" Iya called out.

"Alright, Atsuya, hang it over the television with Yukino!" Someoka ordered, inspecting the other decorations, from a huge collage of team photos to mini flags with each member's faces and the Hakuren logo hung around the room.

"Don't tell me what to do in my house!" Atsuya barked but obeyed anyway, lifting it with the hooded boy.

"Atsuya-kun, could you move to that side a bit?" Yukino sniffled.

"At least blow your nose so you don't get your snot on the banner!" he frowned, but backed away anyway. He knew that he couldn't afford to pick any more fights, since time was clearly not on his side.

"Atsuya, move over, you're stepping on the pictures," Kitami mumbled through his scarf.

"Speak up! Your scarf ain't helping out!" Atsuya rolled his eyes. "Speaking of it anyway, take it off! I didn't turn on the heater for you to wear your scarf!"

"Stop picking fights with everyone, Atsuya," Someoka reprimanded from the other side of the room.

"What're you, my dad?!"

The entire room burst into laughter, and they were having a blast. The entire team rarely met up other from the regular training meets so it was refreshing to do something outside of club activities for once. What made it better was that they were able to meet up to show their gratitude for their beloved captain on his special day. It was going perfectly.

That was, until Atsuya let out a horrified scream.

Everyone turned to him, his face pale and staring at the ground at what seemed to be a smashed glass. His pupils constricted and he could barely form words.

"Hm? I heard a scream?" Nae popped her head into the room and spotted Atsuya's frozen stance. "Oh, it was Atsuya, huh?"

"I-I'm sorry, Atsuya-kun. My sneeze made me bump into you, so the glass..." Yukino stuttered, blowing into his handkerchief.

"Alright, calm down, someone get a sweep so we can get rid of the shards. As for Atsuya, aren't you overreacting?" Someoka sighed. "It's just a gl—"

"It was Bro's favorite glass! He specially picked it out and we even got matching ones!" Atsuya groaned in frustration, seeing the shards get swept into the pan. "Ugh, he's always used this cup no matter what... He'd have such a kind face looking at it."

Yukino immediately fell to his knees and bowed in apology. "I'm so sorry!! I'll buy it back! I'll repent for my sins!" he squealed out, panicky and afraid to face Atsuya's wrath. However, it never arrived.

"It's over, it's over, it's over, it's over..." Atsuya muttered over and over again, in a depressed state.

Nae made her way to Someoka's side to see the normally fierce forward mumbling some kind of chant. "It's just a glass, why's he so worked up over it?" she looked at him with pitiful eyes, she was surprised by how sensitive Atsuya actually was.

"Have you seen Bro getting pissed?" Atsuya mumbled. Everyone in the room just exchanged glances and shook their head.

"I can't even imagine our kind and calm captain getting mad at all," Oshiya said, everyone else nodding in agreement.

A weird, unsettling chuckle came out of Atsuya, as his empty eyes turned to the rest of the room. "Imagine me pissed off, except with my brother's face and your soul fading off to the other side."

While the rest of the team couldn't get the whole picture, Nae's composure immediately changed to that of Atsuya's. "Oh that's terrifying," Nae shivered, holding her arms.

"See?" Atsuya's creepy chuckles continued. "Last time, I scribbled on a signed soccer ball because he'd taken my jacket. When he found out, he ignored my existence for two days." Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, recalling the memory and the fear of it happening again terrorizing him. He really loved his brother a lot, and he still planned to apologize for his harsh words that morning.

The room was silent, unsure how to comfort Atsuya. The rowdy boy was usually the one who frustrated everyone with his antics so to see him this upset shook them. Well, except for one.

"Atsuya," the pinkette's voice booming over him. The orange haired forward's upset expression turned to face him, only to mix in some surprise in his emotions. Though Someoka's strict face was facing him, there was a softness in it that surprisingly calmed Atsuya down. "Everything will turn out alright."

Silence.

"Trust me. Your brother definitely has grown from that time, and you have too. He knows this was an accident, so don't beat yourself up over it. After all, you still have to pick up the cake, you know?" Someoka pat his back. Atsuya took a deep breath to calm himself down and looked at the other with sincere eyes.

"Thanks, Someoka," he bowed his head down a little bit, having newfound respect for him. "Uh, snot dude, don't worry about knocking me, I should've put the glass back in the cabinet in the first place."

"O-okay," Yukino sniffled.

"NONE OF YOU TELL A SOUL ALRIGHT?! I'LL KICK YOU OUT!" Atsuya yelled at the rest of the room, and they all laughed. Atsuya was back to his normal self and the cheerful atmosphere had returned.

"I guess Atsuya also grew a bit today," Someoka smiled to himself.

-o-

"Thank you for your purchase! We look forward to seeing you again!"

Atsuya nodded in acknowledgement to the salesman at the counter and left the bakery. He held a large cake box, the content being a beautifully decorated vanilla sponge birthday cake. The bakery was kind enough to include candles, a matchbox and a huge plastic knife. Fortunately, no mishap occurred this time, like mixing up orders, and he was definitely not going to drop it. He was going to protect this cake with his life.

The journey back was a long one, so it gave Atsuya lots of time to think. To think about the Football Frontier, about the upcoming FFI, but of course, he was most concerned about his brother's upcoming graduation.

Four more months and his brother would be a graduate. Four more months and he would no longer see him during training meets. Four more months and their everyday would change.

It wasn't like Atsuya to get emotional over such thoughts, but he couldn't help it. Shirou was the brother he'd loved and respected all his life. The only other person he believed to be equal to him. It was impossible to imagine a world where they weren't together, it seemed so unbearable.

Without realizing, he'd reached his front door and was about to open the door when the voice he least expected to hear spoke. "Oh, so you did go out, Atsuya."

Atsuya turned slowly to his older brother smiling at him, parents still in the car. They weren't supposed to be back for another hour. So why was he here?

"What's in that box?"

Atsuya instinctively hid it behind it. "My snack." he stated. "Why're you back so fast?"

"The match was great and all but it really just isn't the same without you," Shirou smiled softly, patting his head. "And I don't think the huge box is just a simple snack."

"That doesn't exactly answer my question, Bro," Atsuya murmured. "Dad told me you guys wouldn't be back until 6. It's only 5."

"Don't sweat the details," Shirou smiled off Atsuya's nervousness. "Alright, let's go in—"

Atsuya shook his head vigorously before Shirou could finish his sentence. "You can't go in."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's rather childish of you, Atsuya. Are you hiding something from me?"

Atsuya tensed up immediately. "No way!" he blurted out. "You can go right in! Like hell I'm hiding anything!"

He immediately regret saying those words.

"If you say so," Shirou shrugged. "I'm home—"

"Happy birthday!"

The amount of surprise on Shirou's face was equal to that of Atsuya's

The entire Hakuren team was crowded at the front door, with party poppers and party blowers. The popped poppers completely covered their captain as he stood there baffled. Atsuya recovered faster and slipped his way in, pulling Nae away. "How did you all—?"

"We finished everything and had nothing better to do so we just waited out here. Also your voice is loud," Nae summarized it. Atsuya loosened his grip on her, dazed. The surprise he'd tried so hard to protect wasn't ruined?

"Were you surprised, Captain?" Konko asked the stunned older brother.

"Oh!" Shirou snapped back to his senses and scratched his head in realization. "I'd suspected Atsuya was up to something but..."

"Ehhh?! You knew this entire time?!" Atsuya pouted, upset that he was unable to keep the entire party a secret.

"You aren't the best actor," Shirou chuckled, and his laughter was followed by everyone else. "But you really blew my mind with this, you all worked hard didn't you?"

"None of this would've happened without Atsuya, though I hate to admit it," Mabuka confessed.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. "He did all the planning! It really surprised me how thorough he was with this! He even planned to do the cooking himself!" Juka revealed.

"Of course! What do you take me for?" Atsuya huffed, but his chest was puffed out in pride.

Laughter filled the house once again but to Atsuya, it became muffled as Shirou wrapped his arms around his younger brother. The laughter stopped as that moment became the Fubuki brothers'.

"Bro, wha—?"

The grey-haired Fubuki gently swept aside orange-pink hair, gently pecking his adorable younger brother's forehead. A few gasps of surprise escaped the mouths of their onlookers, while some others snickered. However, they couldn't compare to the sheer redness of Atsuya's flustered state. Shirou of course noticed and chuckled as he caressed his head.

"Thank you, Atsuya. You really made this the best birthday I could possibly ask for," he thanked, and gave that blinding smile that made all of the day's troubles disappear. The ruined ingredients, the broken cup, even the surprise going differently than expected. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes, as the pent up frustration from before became relief and gratitude, for everything was worth it.

"Atsuya? Are you okay?"

Nodding, he wiped away the tears as fast as they formed. This time, it was his turn to give his older brother a tight embrace as he gave him the biggest grin ever.

"Happy birthday, Bro! Thank you for being born!"


End file.
